By: George Huckabay, Southern Technical Sales Agronomist
Cotton growers have long faced, and often overlooked, a major yield-robbing pest: the nematode. Nematodes are microscopic round worms that live in the soil and can colonize the root system of susceptible plants. There are thousands of species of Nematodes but only a few are considered plant parasitic to cotton. These species include root-knot, reniform, lance, and sting nematodes. Even though these are all nematodes, the damage they can cause can be quite different. The root-knot nematode injures the root then causes the roots of the cotton plant to produce galls and they are found more commonly in sandy soils. Reniform nematodes feed on the tiny cotton seedling roots and then insert themselves in the cotton root to reproduce forming egg masses on the root system. Lance nematodes also feed on the cotton roots system and can increase the incidence of seedling diseases and fusarium wilt. Lastly, we have sting nematodes. Sting nematode damage can be observed by the lesions on the root system, and they also limit the ability of the plant to take up water and nutrients leading to wilted, stunted plants.
According to the National Cotton Council, yield loss associated with cotton nematodes has ranged from 1-5% every year since 1952 and is only increasing as time goes on. Most nematode damage occurs early in the life cycle of the cotton plant, so control measures need to be used either before or during planting¹.
Vive Crop Protection’s Averland FC insecticide/nematicide/miticide has recently been labeled for in-furrow use in cotton. A proven, economic solution to fight nematodes in-furrow, Averland FC is the only liquid abamectin product labeled for in-furrow use in cotton. Abamectin is a fermented bacterial product that is toxic to nematodes and other pest. Averland FC can be readily mixed with most in-furrow nutritional products, including 10-34-0 and other high salt fertility products. It is also immobile in the soil and will not be leached by rainfall, unlike other in-furrow nematicides. Averland FC is also more economical than other nematicides and can provide comparable control.
Learn more about Averland FC and other Vive Crop Protection products by visiting www.vivecrop.com/products.
¹https://www.cotton.org/tech/pest/nematode/losses.cfm
Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using Vive Crop Protection, Inc. products. AVERLAND FC IS A RESTRICTED USE PESTICIDE.